We buy all kinds of covers!

In philately, the term "cover" pertains to the outside of an envelope or package with an address, typically with postage stamps that have been cancelled and is a term generally used among stamp and postal history collectors. Cover collecting plays an important role in postal history as many covers bear stamps, postmarks and other markings all of which help to place a cover at a given time and place in history.

Philatelic covers

Philatelic covers are those prepared by collectors, for collectors. These include First Day Covers, First Flight Covers, and other Event Covers. Some can be rare and valuable, but in most cases they are quite inexpensive, since they were created specifically for collectors and were created in quantity. This is particularly true of First Day Covers of most countries since 1950. Even most 1930s FDCs of the USA are very inexpensive. We will buy them, but in general, they do not add much to the value of a larger collection.

"Commercial" covers

"Commercial cover" is a catch-all term that really means "non-philatelic" i.e. all other covers that were not created specifically for collecting. That includes both business and personal mail, pre-stamp stampless covers etc. In general, this area of collecting is known as "postal history".

We are very interested in good postal history covers, from anywhere in the world.

Subscription cover collections

Subscription cover collections have little value. These were marketed in magazines and by direct mail by companies such as Franklin Mint, Collectors' Society, and others and sold on a subscription basis. They are usually in thick and heavy plastic books. They have little resale value and are best given away to classroom teachers, Boy & Girl Scout troops, or charitable organizations. We do not buy them.

Ready to talk about selling a collection of covers? See our Selling to Us page.